Apparatus for carbureting air



(No Model.)

2 Sheets Sheet 1. S. A. MILES.

A APPARATUS FOR OARBURETING AIR. No. 601,061. Patented Mar. 22,1898.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 (No M del.) L

' s. A. MILES.

- APPARATUS FOR vGAEBURETING AIR.-

No; 601,061. A Patented Mar. 22,1898.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL A. MILES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FOR CARBURETING AIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 601,061, dated March 22, 1898.

' Application filed January 21, 1897. Serial No. 620,078. (No model.)

To all whom it map/concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL A. MILES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county'of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Carbureting Air, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, economical, and efficient mechanism for carbureting air by the use of liquid hydrocarbons; and the invention consists in the features, combinations, and details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings,Figure 1 is an elevation of a complete apparatus constructed in accordance with my improvements; Fig. 2, an enlarged vertical sectional View of the mechanism for admitting the liquid hydrocarbons and atmospheric air into the mixing-chamber in proper proportion; Fig; 3, a transverse section taken on the line 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a transverse section taken on the line 4 of Fig. 2, and Figs. 5 and 6 detailed'views of the adjustable sliding plate for the valve mechanism.

In the art to which this invention relates it is well known that considerable difficulty is encountered in carbureting air by using liquid hydrocarbons, the principal reason being that it has been found difficult to regulate the admission of both the fluids in their proper proportions. Theprincipal object of my invention is to remove these objections and to provide a mechanism which will be automat-ically'operative and will admit the air under pressure and preferably vaporized hy-' drocarbons in their proper proportions, the amount of each and the proportion of each fluid admitted being dependent upon the pressure at which the air is admitted to or in the mixing-chamber.

In constructing an apparatus in' accordance with my improvements I provide a valve A to regulate the admission of air into the mixing-chamber B. This piston-valve is provided with a supply-pipe a, leading from a source of air-supply-preferably a blower C of that class known as the ,positive type. This supply-pipe is led into the valve-cylinder, (see Fig. 2,) so that it opens underneath the movable piston A and acts to raise the same when'the pressure is sufficient or allows 1 educt-pipe.

it to descend when the pressure in the feedpipe is lessened or the pressure in front of the'piston is increased by the shutting ofi of burners or other openings. An educt-pipe a leads from a ported opening a in the cylinder to the mixing-chamber, so that the air may pass when the piston is raised from the source of air-supply to the mixing-chamber.

In order to admit the air in proper quantity and in proportion to the pressure ahead of or in the rear of the piston, Iprefer to make the ported opening in the cylinder of an adj ustable nature, so that the size of the opening may be regulated and made to conform in its proper relation to the size of the opening in the liquid-hydrocarbon valve hereinafter described. In order to accomplish this result, I bore out the cylinder, preferably at its lower portion, and insert a ring D therein. This ring is provided with an opening 61, adapted to register with the ported opening in the cylinder, and is further provided with a handle 01, that extends out through the cylinder, so that it may be operated and the size of the opening regulated. This ring is of the same internal diameter or bore as the cylinder, so that the piston may slide up and down easily in the same. If the opening d in the adjustablering were left free from any obstructing-rib, the movement of the piston would allow larger quantities of air than desired to pass up and through, and thus the function of the adjustable feature of the ring would be largely nullified. In order to prevent this, I provide the cylinder with a projecting rib or lug a and insert the same in the opening of the ring, so that if the ring be movedto the right or in the direction of the arrow, as shown in Fig. 3, the size of the opening will be positively regulated, in that there will be a space between the upper part of the lug and the portion of the ring adjacent thereto, (examine Fig. 3,) but this space would not in any way be connected with the opening through which the air passes into the In order that the proper amount of liquid hydrocarbon in a vaporized condition may be admitted to the mixing-chamber and in direct proportion to the amount of air admitted to such chamber, I provide avalve-casing E and mount therein a sliding valve E,

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which is connected with the piston of the airvalve by means of a rod F. The valve-scat E is preferably constructed, as shown in Fig. 5, of two pieces secured together bymeans of bolts 6 and having pieces of material e inserted between the same to provide the desired width of the slot e. The movement of the valve is coincident with the length of the slot, and from this it will be seen that the opening of the valve is such that it requires a long movement of the valve to make any appreciable difference in its area. In other words, the valve is what might be termed a very sensitive valve. As it is necessary at times and especially in setting up a plant to make the openings in the hydrocarbonvalve and air-valve of proper relative sizes, so that the proper amount of each fluid may flow through, it is desirable to make this valve-seat of two parts and secure them together adjustably, (see modification shown in Fig. 6,) so that one partthe part 1-may be moved closer to or farther from the part 2. In order to accomplish this result, I secure the parts together by means of tongues and grooves and provide adjusting screws 6 which are screw-threaded, in the valvecasing and have head portions 6 engaging with part 1 of the valve-seat E, that is shown in Fig. 6. Vhen the proper size of the opening 3 has been determined, the screws 4 and 5, in connection with the adjustable screws, hold the valve-seat in position. The valveseat shown and described in connection with Fig. 6, I desire tohave it understood, is shown as a modification and not necessarily as the preferred form, as I have found the form shown in Fig. 5 meets generally all the requirements.

The hydrocarbon-valve casin g is provided with an inlet passage or pipe E, that connects with the chamber of the valve-casing, and an educt-pipe connects the chamber of the valve-casing with the mixing-chamber and the opening of the valve-seat. The liquidhydrocarbon feed pipe is preferably connected, though not shown in the drawings, with a supply-tan k under the same pressure as the pressure in the mixing-chamber B, with which it may be connected by means of pipes or otherwise. The valve-casing is provided with a second and steam chamber G, that is connected, by means of a pipe 9, with a source of steam-supply, and such chamber has an outlet or passage pipe g, that connects with the supply-pipe G of a fluid-pressure engine, so that the steam is fed to the motor-engine. Part of its heat is taken up or used to transform the liquid hydrocarbon to a vapor.

I prefer to use a stem-engine H, of any wellknown type, for the purpose of operating, as shown in Fig. 1, the mechanism for furnishing the air under pressure, and in order to automatically control the movement of the engine according to the amount of carbureted air used or formed I provide a diaphragm and inclose it in a chamber of the casing I and connect one portion of the chamber with the source of air-supply by means of a supplypipe "6, so that the pressure of the air operates the diaphragm. Preferably secured to the diapl1ragn1-casing is a swinging lever i, having a portion 1' contacting the diaphragm. The outer end of this lever is connected, by means of a rod 1, with the lever of a throttle- Valve K. This diaphragm-lever is provided with a weight i to regulate the operations of the lever by the pressure of the air as it may be found desirable or necessary.

From this description and explanation of the drawings it will be seen that if the pressure in the supply-pipe is increased the throttle-valve is operated so as to close the passage in the same and admit a smaller quantity of steam to the motor, the reverse being true when the pressure in the pipe decreases.

In operation the throttle-valve is opened and steam admitted to the motor to operate the same. This furnishes a supply of air under pressure, which, passing through the airvalve, raises its piston at the same time, and by means of the mechanism hereinbefore described the vaporized hydrocarbon is also allowed to pass through its valve and in the proper proportion and mingle with the incoming air to carburet or enrich the same. From the mixing-chamber the supply of carbureted air may be drawn off by a pipe I) to be used in furnaces or for any other purpose desired. If after a quantity of carbureted air has been formed its use is out off, it will be seen that the pressure in front of the piston will be increased and the piston forced back, acting to close the hydrocarbon-valve and thus decrease the forming of the carbureted air. At the same time and by means of the diaphragm, connecting-levers,rods,&c.,thethrottle-valve is closed by the pressure of the air and the speed of the motor decreased, all of the actions taking place automatically, and thus simplify the methods of carbureting air and act to form it in an economical manner.

While I have described my invention with more or less minuteness as regards details and as being embodied in certain precise forms, I do not desire to be limited thereto unduly or any more than is pointed out in the claims. On the contrary, I contemplate all proper changes in form, construction, and arrangement, the omission of the immaterial elements, and the substitution of equivalents as circumstances may require or necessity render expedient.

I claim- 1. In mechanisms of the class described, the combination of a receptacle provided with a mixing-chamber, a piston-valve arranged to be actuated by air under pressure and connected with the mixing-chamber and with a source of air-supply, a second valve connected with the mixing-chamber and with a source of liquid-hydrocarbon supply, and a rod connecting the air and hydrocarbon valves together to operate such valves simultaneously tially as described.

and automatically by the pressure in the airvalve to admit both of said fluids into the mixing-chamber in proper proportions, substan- 2. In mechanisms of the class described,the Combination of a receptacle provided with a mixing-chamber, a piston-valve connected therewith and with a source of air under pressure and arranged so that its piston covers or uncovers the opening connecting therewith with the mixing-chamber by the amount of pressure in the valve, a second slide-valve connected with the mixing-chamber and with a source of liquid hydrocarbon, a rod connecting the piston-rod and slide-valve together to operate the same automatically and simultaneously and open or close the passages connecting with the mixing-chamber, substantially as described.

3. In mechanisms of the class described, the combination of a receptacle provided with a mixing-chamber, a pistonvalve connected with the mixing-chamber and with a source of air-supply and arranged to cover or uncover the passage to the mixing-chamber by the pressure in the piston a second slide-valve connecting with the mixing-chamber and with a source of liquid-hydrocarbon supply, a rod connecting the slide and piston valves together to operate the same simultaneously, means for compressing and furnishing air under pressure to the piston-valve, a motor for operating the air-compressing mechanism, and means intermediate the motor and the air-compressing mechanism and arranged to be controlled by the pressure of air from the air-compressing'mechanism,to diminish or increase the supply of fluid to operate the motor, and correspondingly diminish or increase the supply of gas, substantially as described.

4. In mechanisms of the class described, the combination of a receptacle provided with a mixing-chamber, a valve connected with the mixing-chamber and with a source of air-supply, a second valve connected with the mixing-chamber and With a source of liquid-hydrocarbon supply, mechanism connecting the valves together to operate the same simultaneously, a positive blower for furnishing air under pressure to the air-valve, a motor for operating the positive blower and connected with a source of steam-supply, a valve for shutting off or opening the steam-supply pas sage, and mechanism arranged intermediate the air-compressing mechanism and connected with the supply-valve of the motor to opof air-supply, a second and slide valve connected with the mixing-chamber and with a source of liquid-hydrocarbon supply, a rod connecting such valves together to operate the same simultaneously, a positive blower for furnishing a supply of compressed air to and through the piston-valve, a motor arranged to operate the positive blower, a throttle-valve for opening and closing the passage for supplying steam under pressure to the motor, a. casing provided with a diaphragm and chamber connected with a source of air under pressure to operate the diaphragm thereby, connecting rods and levers contacting the diaphragm and connected with the throttle-valve to operate such throttle-valve by the movement of the diaphragm, substantially as described.

6. In mechanisms of the class described, the combination of a receptacle provided with a mixingchamber, a piston-valve connected with such mixing-chamber and provided With a ported opening, an adjustable ring in the cylinder of the piston-valve forming a portion of its internal bore in which the piston operates providedwith a ported opening engaging a rib or lug in the cylinder and arranged by its movements to increase or diminish the size of the ported opening and a projecting rib or lug in the cylindemcasing engaging the ported opening of the adjustable ring, substantially as described.

7. In mechanisms of the class described, the combination of a receptacle provided with a mixing-chamber, a slide-valve connected with such mixing-chamber and with a source of liquid-hydrocarbon supply, a seat in such slide-valve on which the valve operates and provided with a ported opening forminga part of the passage to the mixing-chamber, such seat being constructed in at least two parts and adj ustably mounted in the casing so as to increase or diminish the size of the ported opening, substantially as described.

SAMUEL A. MILES. 

